What happens to NASA&#8217;s used furniture when new office buildings are built? Hint: Teachers rejoice.

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – NASA officials got some help emptying out an office building Wednesday from a few Tennessee educators who were more than willing to lend a hand.

Administrators, football coaches and parent volunteers from Lincoln County Ninth Grade Academy and Flintville Elementary School in Tennessee came across state lines to pick-up donated office furniture as part of NASA's furniture re-utilization initiative.

Now that a new office has opened to replace Building 4202, Stephens said institutions are able to collect furniture with federal and state entities getting first dibs on the 15-year-old office furnishings.

"With every building that comes down we have to account for all the property in the building and try and do what is best for the taxpayer. " Stephens said. "If we had to refurbish the whole building it would be 1.7 million, but the depreciated value, because it is 15 years old, is roughly about $300,000 and that was for everything in here. Not just what has gone out the door in donations to federal, state and public... I'm just glad somebody can use it."

This isn't the first time the school district has received furniture donations from NASA. Lincoln County Schools Director Wanda Shelton said teachers appreciated getting furniture donations last year after using decades-old equipment.

She said Flintville's school construction costs didn't leave much money for new furniture for teachers after they moved into a new building a little over a decade ago. She described the furniture initiative as a "gift that fell at our laps."

"When NASA made us this offer we were thrilled to death," Shelton said. "It makes a huge difference...Teachers take so much pride in what they're getting."

"We had nothing new. We had desks that were sitting on brick, but we were in a new building. So when Philisha contacted us last year, we went gung ho," said Lisa Creson, the district's family and pupil services coordinator. "We pulled up in front of our building and the teachers were grabbing stuff like kids at a Christmas parade picking up candy."

Flintville Elementary School Principal David Golden said teachers had a chance to get gently-used "L" shaped desks, filing cabinets, book shelves, credenzas and desk chairs.

"That one adventure changed our building," Golden said.

On Wednesday's trip, Golden and the rest of the Flintville crew were able to set aside items that teachers requested including hat racks and dry eraser boards. The crew will also gather supplies for teachers at South Lincoln Elementary, a school recently renovated after the April 28 tornadoes caused massive damage in the area.

"We're thankful to come back down here," he said.

"Furniture doesn't teach our children, but it makes our teachers happy and it does change the environment," Creson said.